Capel Plough 0 Team Bury 2

TEAM Bury capped a fine first season in the Ridgeons League by deservedly winning the Suffolk Senior Cup at Portman Road last night.

They beat Capel Plough from the Senior Division of the Kingsley Healthcare SIL with goals from Luke Ingram and Rhys Henry but by the end of the 90 minutes they knew they had been in a game.

On paper this was a clash between the haves and the have nots with Team Bury part of the acclaimed West Suffolk College/Bury Town alliance while Capel are not so privileged with their village recreation ground pitch and rather rustic facilities.

But on the pitch this class distinction meant for nothing with Team Bury’s youthfulness and energy matched by Capel’s doggedness and resolve.

Capel started this match – as all others on their route to the final – as underdogs, and when they went a goal behind early on they knew they were in for another battle.

They had chances to equalise before the west Suffolk-based club added a second goal midway through the highly entertaining and rather bruising second period.

Having also lost in the 2006 final, Capel will look to re-group but they can have no complaints that they were beaten by a better side.

After Ricky Thurlow had shot just wide from an astute Robbie Fuller pass, Team Bury took the lead in the 22nd minute.

Ryan Clarke fired in low from the edge of the penalty area and Nick Hunt in the Capel goal dived full length the push the ball away.

Ingram followed up intelligently to fire home the loose ball before Hunt to get to his feet.

The younger Bury players held the upper hand for the next 15 minutes, but the Plough held out and could have equalised three times in three minutes.

First Tony Mayhew brought a good save out of Nick Pope following a header and then Nick Albins fired just wide when well placed. Shortly afterwards, Pope dropped the ball and Fuller swung his foot around the ball but his first-time effort went over an unguarded goal.

In the 51st minute Thurlow saw his excellent effort saved with difficulty by Pope, with the ball rolling behind the keeper and a whisker wide of the post.

Jed Winfield struck the Capel bar with a spectacular 22 yard volley in the 56th minute, and a minute later Hunt made a good low save – with Archie Arnold clearing a Rhys Henry off the line from the rebound when the number 10 looked certain to score.

Capel showed their grit when within 60 seconds a neat build-up resulted in Fuller wheeling away thinking he had found the net from the edge of the area only for Pope to pull off an outstanding save by the foot of his left hand post.

Team Bury took a firm grip on the game in the 67th minute when Henry and Ingram used their pace to escape the clutches of the Capel defence down the right side with the former sweeping home the latter’s cross for the second goal.

Clarke went clear for Bury, but was denied by a fine Hunt save with the referee as busy as anyone on the field in the closing rather physical stages.

If any side was going to score again it was the fine footballing side that is Team Bury.

Capel Plough: Hunt, Albins, Mayhew, Bradford, Donovan, Morrison (Easton 59), Arnold, Fuller (Dorward 68), Tynan, Thurlow, Wilshaw (Collins 82). Substitutes: Wall, Rawthorn.

Team Bury: Pope, Hardwick, Winfield, Steed, Hitchin, Cornish, Ingram (Warren 90), Miller, Wood, Henry (Boreham 88), Clark (Nugent 76). Substitutes: Greygoose, Peters.

Referee: Mr E Goodman

Attendance: 856